seed flavors

I wrote some days ago about the Curious Case of the Disregarded Thistle Seed. I had experienced a kind of birdseed paradox. The new feeder I got at Kroger some weeks ago proved to be very popular when I posted it in the back yard. Despite the feeder's small size, it attracted not only small but also medium-sized songbirds.

The key attractant had been a birdseed shelled variety mix. When I ran out of a bag of this mix, I decided to purchase some thistle seed. This seed turned out to be less popular. I followed the advance of folks here and of my wife. I mixed layers of the mixed birdseed with layers of the thistle seed.

The visual effect looked a bit like neapolitan ice cream. The birds liked the new mix, though they had turned up their beaks at the old thistle-seed-only offering. I was relieved that the thistle seed would not go to waste.

My wife suggested that I mix together the mason jar of mixed birdseed and the mason jar of thistle seed. I gave that approach a try. The resulting seed mix no longer looks like the layers of neapolitan ice cream, but more like rocky road ice cream. The birds like it. Though I miss spreading the seed on the tiny back yard bench that was given to us upon the passing of our wonder dog Scout, this way works better. While the rabbits get some seed that falls, we no longer attract younger bunnies whose safety Beatrice might not ensure.

I love the magic of birdseed and the ingenuity of large birds on small perches.